Grain separator



GRAIN sEPARATon Filed June?. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet lmwnomwnuoooonaooeauooomooozaoco o /Z GRAIN SEPARATOR Filed June 2, 19232 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented .luly 8, 1924.

MMZZ* 'I' t? t' I t GRAIN SEPARATOR.

Application AlednJune 2, 1923. Serial No. 643,043;

To @ZZ/whom it may concern lBe it known that I, LEON DrOBERT, a citizenof the United States of America, residing at Underwood, in the county ofOtter Tail and Stat-e of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain Separatore; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which itappertains to make and use the same. i

Ihis invention relates to improvements in grain separators, having foran object to provide a rotary grain separator, especially advantageousfor use in separating wheat and like grains fromoats, wheat seeds, sandand dirt, and delivering the grainso sepa- Iqatedby discharge means intoa suitable rec eptacle.l It is also anobj ect of the invention toprovide al'rotary grain separator employing a novel form of rotatableseparator cylinder having internal mea-ns for receiving and removingVthe grains of wheat fromthe bulk of matter discharged thereinto forseparation and conveying the same away` from such bull; and dischargingit at a predetermined point of its rotary pathoftravel into adischargeway leading from the separator. It is a further aim of theinvention to `prof vide a rotary separator wherein means are utilizedfor agitating the matter discharged thereinto for 'separation in orderthat the sainewill be evenly distributed throughout the separatorcylinder and the lighter grain, such `oats and othermatter causedto'pass therefrom, lthus leaving only heavier matter for separation bythe cylinder. l Other objects will be in part obvious and in partpointed out hereinafter. i

'V'Icniorder` that the invention and its inode of operation may bereadily understood by persons skilled in the art, I havein the s acc'o'mpanyin'gl illustrative drawings, and in the detailed: followingdescription based thereon, set,V out one possible embodiment of thesame.

i In these drawings:

Figure l is .aside elevation of the improvedv rotary grain separator;y Y

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section hfeueli.thaseparator;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1 looking in the direction in which the arrow points `;v

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of the Figure 1 looking in the direction in which the arrow points;and,

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail in section showing the mannerin which the wheat receiving and conveying pockets are formed in theinternal face of the cylindrical separator shell.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection withwhich like characters of reference will designate corresponding partsthroughout, the improved separator may be stated'to comprise acylindrical separator shellindicatedin its entirety by the numeral land. hereinafter referred to for convenience as the Vvseparatorcylinder, such separator cylinder being mounted for rot-ary movement ina horizontal plane upon roller bearings 2 rotatably mounted' in thebearing bracket 'Y provided therefor by means of standards generallyindicated by the numeral 3, such roller bearings, as shown in the Figurel, being engaged in circumferentially disposed rings or circular tracks4 disposed about theopposite end portions of the separato-r cylinder;preferably four of these roller bearings 2 with their respectivestandards 3 being employed and arranged upon the opposite sides andadjacent the opposite ends of the separator cylinder,

In order that rotary motionmay'be transmitted to the separator cylinder,a. gear ring 5 is arranged about the intermediate portionA of suchcylinder and is adapted to have the teeth thereof mesh with a drivingpinion 6 mounted upon the inner end ofa longitudinally disposed shaft 7mounted in bearings 8 beneath the separatorcylinder 1*; a fric'- tionalgear being carried upon the-outer end of the 'shaft 7 and receiving beltgearing 9 thereabout for a purpose which will, be hereinafter more-fullydescribed",l while suitable driving means, notshown,I is connected tothe frictional gear orto the shaft 7. In this connection, it is to beunderstood that the driving means, not shown, may be provided withvariable feed power transmitting mechanism or various other forms ofmechanical devices, common in the art, in order -that the separatorcylinder may be selectively rotated at that speed most eficient to itsseparation operation.

The inner or intei'nal face of the separator cylinder 1 has a pluralityof sets oi' pockets generally indicated by the numerals and 11 tormedtherein, such sets or groups 'of pockets each covering approximatelyone-half of the internal area of the cylinder and extending to itsintermediate portion from its opposite end as clearly shown in theFigure 2; such groups of pockets being of different sizes, whereby, asillustration, the pockets 10 will serve to receive wheat seed, sand anddirt from the bulkv of matter discharged into the separator forseparation, while the pockets 11 are of sizes suliicient to receive thelarger wheat grains or other grains to be separated trom such bulk.

Disposed longitudinally of and extending through the lower portion ofthe separator cylinder 1 is a shaft 12 having plurality or series ofradially disposed agitating blades 13 xedly mounted thereon, theopposite ends of the shaft 12 being received in suitable bearings 14positioned externally of and adjacent the opposite ends of the separatorcylinder, one end of the shaft 12 having a frictional gear thereonadapted to receive the belt gearing 9 thereabout in order that rotarymotion may be transmitted to the agitating arms or blades 13 from theshaft 7 With a view towards providing means for causing the discharge ofmatter to be separated into the separator cylinder 1, a discharge chute15 is mounted upon a supporting structureV generally indicated by thenumeral 16 and, asshown in the Figures 1 and 2, is inclined downwardlyand extends `into one end of the rotatable separator cylinder adjacentthose groups of openings indicated by the numeral 10. Thus, the bulk ofmatter to be separated, when discharged into the separator cylinder willfirst be engaged with the smaller group ot pockets 10 and inconsequence, the smaller material such as wheat seed, dirt, sand, etcetera will be received in said pockets, whereas the larger particles ofthe matter, namely, the wheat kernels will be caused to pass over saidsmaller group ot openings until the same reach and are received in thelarger group of openings or pockets 11.

Oppositely disposed inclined discharge chutes 17 and 18 are arrangedlongitudinally and internally of the upper portion of the separatorcylinder 1, their inner ends being at a point adjacent the meet-ing ofthe several groups of pockets 10 and 11, while the outer portionsthereof are supported upon the structures indicated by the numeral 16and l 18, `.this latter y supporting structure also serving as asupporting means for a downwardly inclined dischargedchute 19 extendingto a point adjacent and communicating with the opposite ends ofr theseparator cylinder 1 in order that the lighter grains and matter, suchas wild oats and the like, may be conveyed from the separator cylinderduring its rotation;

The operation of my improved grain sepa- Vrator may be reviewed asfollows:

The separator cylinder 1 is rotate-d at the desired speed or velocity bymeans of the driving shaft 7 having its pinion 6 meshing with the ringgear 5 disposedV about the intermediate portion of the separator drumperiphery, such cylinder being supported in its rotary movement upon thevarious roller bearings 2 carried in the upper ends of their respectivestandards 3. Matter to be separated is placed upon tliechute 15 an-dcaused to discharge into that end of the separator cylindercommunicating therewith. The matter to be separated upon contacting withthe internal face of the cylinder will be distributed thereover by meansof the radially disposed agitator blades or arm 13, the smallerparticles, grains, or seeds passing'into the smaller group of pockets10, while the larger grains, such as wheat or the like, are advancedover the smaller group of pocketslO and caused to move onto thatinternal area of the separator cylinder 1 provided with the larger groupof pockets `11. At lthis time, the larger grains, namely the wheatkernels, are received in the pockets 11. VBecause of the rotary movementof the separator cylinder 1, the smaller grains, seeds, dirt or sand andthe wheat kernelswill be carried in the groups of pockets 10 and 11respectively, unt-il they drop by gravity from such pockets into thereceiving chute therefor, the'smaller particles, such as seeds,'dirt orsand passing from the pockets 10 into the discharge chute'17, lwhile thegrains ofwli'eat are -discharged from the larger grouprof pocket-s 11into the discharge chute 18. From these several chutes, the matter soseparated may be delivered into lsuitable receptacles, not shown. Thelighterfinaterial from the bulk of matter discharged for separation intothe separator cylinder will, because of its lighter weight, worklupwardlynand by reason of the constantly rotating agitator arms 13,Vwill be advanced longitudinally through the separatorV cylinder anddischarged trom its opposite end into the inclined chute 19. These'lighter particles, as will be understood, may be in form of chaff, wildoats, et Vcetera;V

Manifestly, the construction' shown vvis capable of considerablemodicationand such modification as iswithin thescope of my claims, Iconsider lwithinthe spirit of my invention. Y i Y r l claim :r 1

l. A rotary separator comprisinga rotatable separator cylinder havinggroups of pockets of different size formed upon its internal face,oppositely inclined chutes extending through and arranged adjacent theupper portion of said cylinder for receiving and discharging matterdelivered thereto from said groups of pockets from the cylinder,agitating means arranged in said separator cylinder in proximity to itslower portion, a delivery chute extending into one end of the cylinderadjacent the smaller group of pockets, and a discharge chute extendingfrom the opposite end of said cylinder adjacent the larger group ofpockets.

2. A rotary separator comprising a rotas table separator cylinder havinggroups of pockets of different size formed upon its internal face,oppositely inclined chutes extending longitudinally of and arranged inthe upper portion of said cylinder for receiving and discharging matterdelivered thereto from said groups of pockets from the cylinder, a shaftmounted in bearings and extending longitudinally through the lowerportion of said cylinder, a plurality of agitating means carried on saidshaft, a common means for imparting rotary motion to said cylinder andshaft, oppositely inclined chutes extending longitudinally through theupper portion of said cylinder having their adjacent ends meeting at apoint adjacent the meeting of the several groups of pockets in theinternal face of the cylinder for receiving and discharging matterdelivered thereto from said groups of pockets Jfrom the cylinder, adelivery chute extending into one end of the cylinder adjacent thesmaller group of pockets and a discharge chute extending from theopposite end of the cylinder adjacent the larger group of pockets.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LEON D. OBERT.

